A Talk With Chester
by Accidental Cougar
Summary: Matt keeps meaning to have a talk with Chester but he never gets around to it, until it's too late.
1. Chapter 1

A Talk With Chester

I don't own these characters; I just like to spend time with them. No other profit to be had.

**(*(*(*(*(*(*(*)*)*)*)*)*)*)**

Matt leaned back in his chair and put his legs up on the rail in front of the jail. It was a warm night and a peaceful one. Things were still going full tilt in the various saloons in town but he'd just finished his rounds and there wasn't any trouble. So far. Of course he knew full well that could change in a moment's notice, so he seldom turned down an opportunity to sit back and relax while he could.

He thought briefly about going down to the Long Branch and buying a particular beautiful woman a drink but quickly discarded that plan. She was still sore at him for jumping up from supper the other night and leaving her alone in the restaurant while he took off on the wild goose chase, Chester had sent him on. The fact that he hadn't known it was a wild goose chase at the time, mattered very little to the irritated red head.

Chester, of course, had been contrite and apologized more than once, to the both of them, for mistaking a farmers plan to secure a loan to buy seed for a plot to rob the bank. But he seemed to make things worse the more he talked. He now practically had Kitty convinced that Matt knew the plot wasn't real and had just wanted an excuse to get out of their meal together.

Shaking his head, he pulled his hat brim down low over his eyes and folded his arms across his chest. Sooner or later he was going to have to explain to Chester the difference between real emergencies and those he only perceived as such.

"Well, I might have known the town Marshal would be lazily sitting back doing nothing while banks are being robbed and citizens being accosted on the street." Doc said as he plopped himself down on the chair beside Matt.

Matt didn't move. "Evening, Doc. You through torturing people for the day? Or did you quit earlier and get called out for a cow or something?" Matt dearly loved to tease the curmudgeonly old physician.

Doc gave him a brief glare before he remembered Matt and Kitty's aborted attempt at supper the other night. Swiping his mustache, he grinned over at the large lawman beside him. "Don't go to taking it out on me when you and your assistant can't tell the difference between a seed loan and a bank robbery. Seems to me that little girl, you abandoned at supper the other night, could have told the difference. That is if you'd a asked her instead of taking Chester's word on it. I'll tell you…"

Doc was winding up to let Matt have it for upsetting Kitty when they heard Chester yelling as he almost literally hopped down the street to them. "Mr. Dillon! Mr. Dillon! You'd best get down to the Long Branch. It looks like a fight for sure."

Matt wasted no time in vacating his chair and heading off down the street. He didn't even pause to ask Chester for details. He just knew Kitty was working tonight and if there was going to a fight of any kind; she could be in the middle of it.

Doc knew where there was fighting, there was most likely going to be the need of a doctor, so he wearily grabbed his bag and followed after the marshal.

When Matt reached the saloon, he paused for a moment to look inside before entering. He not only wanted to know what he was walking into but he needed to know that Kitty was safely in the clear before anything else happened. Spotting her at the end of the bar, with Sam protectively in front of her, he breathed a little sigh of relief and walked in, his hand near his gun. "What happened here?" He demanded.

All eyes turned and stared curiously at the lawman as he walked in. "Nothing's happened, Marshal." Bill Pence answered from his spot behind the bar. "We ain't had any trouble here at all."

Chester, who had followed Matt in, looked around the bar and then back at Pence. "But, Bill, I was in here not more'n five minutes ago and they was two men standing right there at that bar a talkin' about drawing down on each other."

Bill looked puzzled but Sam didn't. "Marshal, I think I can clear that up for you." He was working hard not to laugh. "Those two men weren't talking about a gunfight. They were talking about cards."

"Cards?" Matt turned and scowled at his assistant.

"Yes, Sir." Sam answered. "They both wanted to ask Miss Kitty here to go upstairs with them but being as they're good friends and didn't want to fight, they decided to draw cards for it. The one who got the high card won."

Although relieved that there hadn't been a fight and that obviously Kitty hadn't gone upstairs with either of them, Matt was curious as to what the outcome had been. He knew what Kitty's job as a saloon girl entailed as well as anyone and if one of those men wanted her, she'd of most likely have had to go with him. "Well, did they draw?" He finally asked.

Sam nodded. "Yes, Sir. But the man that won found that he didn't have any money left and neither did his friend so they bid their good nights and went on home. They're good friends, those two. They weren't going to fight."

Matt turned around towards Chester, his scowl deepening. But Chester was already on his way out the door. Matt glanced over at Kitty, but decided against going over and talking to her when he saw the smirk on her face. Shaking his head, he turned and left the saloon without another word.

Doc was waiting just outside the doors. He had listened as Sam told Matt what had really happened and he'd had to leave to keep from bursting out in laughter. "You need to have a talk with that boy, Matt." He hid his grin. "He can't tell the difference between a problem and a pleasure."

Matt gave him a disgusted look before turning and heading back to the jail. As much as it irked him, he knew Doc was right. He was going to have to have a talk with Chester.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

**2**

**(Set in very early season 2 - right before Kitty bought into the Long Branch)**

The next morning, Matt was sitting at his desk going over circulars he'd recently received, while Chester was busy boiling a pot of coffee.

Chester was still feeling a little bad for the previous night's episode and every once in a while, would give Matt a simpering pout. "Mr. Dillon." He finally muttered. "I sure am sorry about last night. I really thought them two fellas was gonna draw on each other or I woulda never bothered you a'tall."

Matt shook his head. "Chester, I know you meant well but you've got to learn how to tell the difference between real danger and something that just sounds like it. You know, you have a bad habit of taking off and hollering wolf before you really even know the whole story. That's gonna get you or somebody else in trouble someday."

"Well, I wasn't trying to cry wolf, Mr. Dillon." Chester voice took on the plaintive whine it usually did when he was trying to justify something that he had done. "It could've happened to anybody. It could've. How was I to know they was friends? They looked mean enough to draw on each other."

Matt was already tired of the discussion but knew Chester would keep on if he continued to sit there. Placing the circulars on his desk, he stood and walked towards the door. "Chester, I've got some things I need to do. Keep an eye on the office for me, will ya?"

"Well, what about the coffee, Mr. Dillon?" Chester waved his hand at the steaming pot of black liquid. "It's almost done."

"I don't really want any coffee right now." Matt told him as he snatched his hat from its accustomed peg by the door. "Maybe later."

As quickly as he could, he exited the office and hurried down the street. At first he wasn't sure of where he was going but then he spotted Kitty heading down the boardwalk towards Jonas' store. Adjusting his direction, Matt headed her way.

"Well, hello, Kitty." He greeted her with a casual smile as he caught up to her, just outside the doors of the store. "Doing some shopping?"

Kitty grinned up at the handsome man. "Hello, Matt. No, I'm not shopping today. I've already done my shopping. I'm just here to see if my order has come in yet. What about you? Trying to find someplace Chester can't find you?"

Matt's face colored a little and he ducked his head. "I'll tell you what. I do have to say he's beginning to get on my nerves. He sees and hears bad guys at every turn. He keeps this up and people will stop coming into town completely for fear of what Chester might accuse them of."

Kitty chuckled. "Oh, now, he's not that bad. But he does have a tendency to take flight awful easy. If he'd a waited around a little longer last night, he could've seen nothing was going to happen between those two fellows even if they'd a been cold blooded enemies with pockets full of money. But as usual, he only heard about half of the conversation and took off half-cocked. I swear, there are times…"

"Wait a minute, Kitty." Matt interrupted her when he caught her meaning. "Do you mean you wouldn't have gone upstairs with those men last night?"

Kitty's smile softened and she shook her head demurely. "No, Matt, I wouldn't have. I had a little talk with Bill Pence last week and well… well, I… I just won't be doing that any more. Me and Bill worked out some things and… I uh…" She wanted to tell Matt everything she and Bill had discussed, but decided right then wasn't the right time. "Anyway, no. I wouldn't have last night and I won't be from now on."

Matt's grin broadened and he came close to scooping her up in his arms and hugging her tightly. But he remained circumspect and kept his thumbs firmly tucked into his gun belt. "Well, I'm glad to hear that." He told her, letting her know with his eyes just how glad.

"I hoped you would be." Kitty told him sincerely. "As a matter of fact, I was wondering if you'd like to go to supper with me tonight to celebrate. I'll buy."

"Oh? Well, I'll tell ya what, Kitty, I'd…"

"Mr. Dillon!"

Matt groaned when he heard Chester's sentinel yell from across the street and saw him hurrying across to him. "Mr. Dillon, you'd better come quick. There's a dead body over behind the Lady Gay. Looks like it could be ol' Nedlinger."

"Now, hold on a minute there, Chester." Matt waved a hand. "Are you sure about this? I mean did you actually check him to see?" Matt glanced over at Kitty who grinned, turned and entered the store.

"Well, a course, I checked him, Mr. Dillon." Chester adopted a tone of hurt pride. "I wouldn't say he was dead if he weren't."

Matt shook his head. "Alright, Chester. Let's go." Hurriedly, Matt followed Chester down the street and through the alley to find Albee Nedlinger sitting with his back against the wall of the Lady Gay, rubbing his head vigorously. "Albee?" Matt knelt down beside him. "You okay?"

Albee looked curiously at Matt and then Chester before a bleary eyed grin appeared on his grizzled face and he waved a shaky hand at them. "Well, hello, Marshal… (hiccup) Chester." Another hiccup passed his lips than a rather large belch.

Matt turned to Chester, a now familiar glare on his face. "Dead, Chester?"

Chester backed up. "I swear, Mr. Dillon. I knelt right down there beside him and he… well he looked for all the world like he was…"

Matt turned away before he did something he knew, sooner or later, he'd regret. "Look, Chester, just get Albee here up to Doc's office. Okay? And then later, you and me need to have a talk."

"Yes, Sir," Chester mumbled. "But I swear he looked dead to me. He just was a laying there and …"

But Matt had already turned and left, shaking his head. He liked Chester, he really did. But his tolerance for interruptions by his well-meaning assistant was just about gone. "Yep," he told himself. "I am going to have to have a talk with him."

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

**3**

"Evening, Kitty." Matt gave her a wide grin as he stepped up to the table she was sitting at. "This seat taken?"

Kitty beamed up at the tall man who had taken her breath and her heart away the moment she'd first laid eyes on him. "Hey, Matt. Have a seat. Would you like a beer?"

Matt took his hat off and tossed it upside down on the chair next to him as he nodded. "Yeah, beer sounds good."

Kitty got up, stepped over to the bar and drew two beers and quickly returned to the table. "So," she said as she set the beer down in front of him and then reclaimed her seat. "What are you up to tonight?"

"Not much." He replied taking a sip of the cold liquid. "Town's been pretty quiet for the last couple of days so I've managed to catch up on all my paperwork and got my rounds done early tonight. Thought I'd come in sit with a pretty lady for a while." His smile both warmed and tickled her and she laughed merrily as they gazed at each other.

"You know, I haven't seen Chester in the last couple of days." Kitty remarked taking a sip of her own beer. "What'd you do, lock him up as a public menace?"

Matt grinned and shook his head. "No, better than that. I sent him out to Fort Dodge for a couple of days. You remember his buddy that works as a mess sergeant out there?"

Kitty nodded her head. "Yeah, I remember. That was pretty clever of you. How much longer is he going to be gone?"

"Only until tomorrow. That's why I've been working so hard to get things cleared up. Thought I might be able to steal a certain red head away for a midnight stroll." He said that last in a whispered voice as he glanced about them.

Kitty's smile grew wider as she nodded. "I think you can at that. As a matter of fact, I think she might just be able to get away sooner than that. It's not busy in here and Bill owes me a couple of hours off for working over the other night. So, what do you say?"

Matt nodded. "Let's go."

Kitty rose from the table and started towards the bar to retrieve her shawl just as two men walked in, low slung guns and all. Too clean to be cowboys and clothing not fancy enough to be gamblers, Matt knew instantly they were gunslingers. For several long moments he hesitated, torn between wanting to spend some much coveted time alone with Kitty and wanting to see what kind of threat these two men would be to his town and himself.

When Kitty returned to the table, she knew immediately that something had changed. Trying hard not to show her disappointment, she followed the direction of Matt's gaze. "Who are they?" She asked, keeping her voice as neutral as her emotions would allow.

"I don't know," Matt answered as he looked down at her. He could see the expression on her face and for once decided not to let anything interrupt his and Kitty's plans. "You ready?" He asked.

Kitty smiled gratefully and nodded, following him from the saloon.

As he held the doors for her, Matt took one quick glance back at the men. Neither one acted suspicious and they didn't appear to be curious about anything but the drinks in front of them. Relaxing a little, he decided Chester must've worn off on him. He was beginning to see bad guys at every turn as well.

**MKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKMK**

Matt walked into the jail the next morning to find Chester there and working on a fresh pot of coffee. "Morning, Mr. Dillon." He greeted his boss with a smile. "I'm afraid the coffee ain't gonna be as good as usual this morning, but I'll do my best. You didn't save none of the old grounds and I ain't got no egg shells or nothing to make it better."

Matt gave him a lopsided grin. "That's alright, Chester. I'm sure it'll be fine. What brought you back so early for anyway? I didn't think you'd be back till this afternoon."

"Well, you know how it is, Mr. Dillon." Chester waved a hand. "Ya get to thinking about things and you realize that… Well, you have a duty to do and you just need to come back and do it, is all."

Matt nodded; he truly did know how it was. "Uh huh. They kicked you out?"

Chester ducked his head without reply as the door opened and Doc shuffled in. "Well, the wandering freeloader returns." He remarked with a smirk. "What's a matter Chester?" Doc loved goading the young man. "They kick you out cause you were eating them out of house and fort?"

"Well, I swan to goodness." Chester said exasperated. "You two act like I'm nothing more than a feed bill. I'll tell you what…" He paused when he saw the mirth on both Matt and Doc's faces. Somehow he didn't see the humor of it.

"You'll tell us what, Chester?" Doc prodded. "No, wait. Let me guess. You saw a bank robber roaming around the fort and you rushed all the way back here to tell Matt about it."

Despite himself, Matt let out a short guffaw, only sobering when he saw the look on Chester's face. "Sorry." He muttered.

But Doc wasn't sorry at all. He was enjoying his chance to get Chester's goat in the same manner that Chester, all too often, got his. "Aw come on, Chester. Tell us all about it."

Chester gave him an irritated glare and turned, heading for the door. "You can just on fix your own coffee." He snapped at them. "I got better things to do." Grabbing his hat, he left the office, slamming the door behind him, causing a burst of laughter from Doc.

"That boy's gonna get into trouble storming out of places like that." He chuckled.

Chester stormed down the boardwalk, angry at Doc's barbs and irritated even at Mr. Dillon for not sticking up for him. As a matter of fact, Mr. Dillon had said the same thing just before Doc had come in.

As he walked and fumed, his head down and his thoughts cloudy, he paid little heed to his direction or even his location. Consequently, when Mr. Jonas stepped out of his store with an arm load of packages to load into a customer's buggy, Chester ran right into him. Both of them tumbled to the ground, sending packages flying everywhere.

"Oh, good Heavens, Chester. Can't you watch where you're going? Now look what you've done. What's a matter with you, anyway? You see another dead body you have to go and tell the Marshal about?"

Apparently the news had gotten around that he had mistaken an unconscious drunk for a dead man, and as Chester regained his feet and stormed off in another direction, he knew just who had spread that word. When he ran to his employer that morning, only two people were present. Mr. Dillon and Miss Kitty.

Rejecting Mr. Dillon as the likely suspect, he settled on Kitty as the one who must've spread the tale. He hadn't seen Mr. Jonas that morning, standing out of sight, just inside the door of his shop.

The more he walked the more certain he became that the woman he had thought of as his friend had held him up as an object of ridicule. Miss Kitty, he was certain, had most probably been making jokes about him behind his back for some time. Furiously he decided she and maybe even Doc had been making fun of him for some time due to a few honest mistakes on his part.

As he continued to walk, he resolved to never again go running to Mr. Dillon for assistance no matter what he saw. If he couldn't handle it himself, he would let it be and let someone else summon his employer to do his job. Chester Goode was not going to be the butt of anyone's jokes, ever again.

Having firmly made up his mind to the matter, Chester continued on his way. He didn't realize his resolve in the matter would be tested as soon as it would be.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

**4**

Later that day, Kitty had just stepped out of the millenary shop when she saw Chester coming towards her. Smiling genially, she nodded as he neared. "Well, hello, Chester. I see you made it back from the fort alright."

Chester gave her an annoyed scowl. "Yeah," he almost snarled at her. "Excuse me, I have someplace to go."

Kitty frowned as she watched him quickly sidestep and almost run past her. "Well, what in the world?" She murmured. "Maybe Matt shouldn't be giving him any more time off, if he's gonna come back mad." Shaking her head, she turned, raised her parasol above her head and made her way back towards the Long Branch.

As she neared the doors of the saloon, two men stood in the alley nearby, watching her. "You sure that's her, Zeke?" The older, deeply tanned man with the wildly tangled dark hair and mustache asked his partner.

"Yeah, Shad, I'm sure." The other replied. "I've been watching him for a week now, and he ain't spent no time with no one but her. O' course, he ain't spent much with her either but I'm still pretty sure she's his." The narrow young man, with little more than peach fuzz on his face and already thinning blond hair, grinned as he watched the beautiful young woman making her way in their direction. "He's pretty stuck on her, ya ask me."

Shad turned an appraising eye on the stunning red head and he found himself believing it. If that big lawman had eyes for anyone, it would be someone like her. Waiting until Kitty was right in front of the alley; he stepped out directly into her path. "Scuse me, Miss." He smiled, showing tobacco stained teeth. "Ya got a minute?"

Kitty took a long look at him and another man behind him and something about them frightened her. "No, I don't." She answered bluntly, trying to move past.

But before she could take a step, the man grabbed her roughly by the waist with one hand, clamping his other hand across her face, and dragged her down the alley toward the horses, his partner following.

Kitty kicked and fought and ruthlessly tried to sink her teeth into the hand fastened tightly across her mouth. But the man was too strong for her and relentlessly he forced her along.

When they reached their horses, Shad held her tightly while Zeke quickly tied her hands and placed a thick gag in her mouth. Grinning, Shad threw her up onto his horse and then climbed up behind her. "Let's go." He told Zeke as he turned his horse and headed swiftly out of town, followed by his partner.

As the two disappeared from sight with their hostage, neither one saw the lone man, sitting quietly between two rain barrels, his knees drawn up to his chin, an empty whiskey bottle in his hand and an astonished look on his face. "I gotta go tell the Marshal." He whispered to himself.

Rising on wobbly legs, Albee Nedlinger slowly made his way to Front Street. As quickly as his inebriated body and mind would allow, he made his way down the street and to the jail. "Marshal!" He yelled when he ran in the door. "Come quick!"

"He ain't here, Albee." Chester said as he turned from the stove to see a frightened expression on the man's face. "What happened to you, anyway? What you so all het up for?"

"They took Miss Kitty, Chester." Albee gasped. "They just pulled her down that alley, threw her on a horse and took her. Ya gotta get the Marshal, Chester. Ya gotta."

"Oh, my goodness." Chester exclaimed as he automatically reached for his hat. "He's out south of town, Albee. I'll go and…" Suddenly it dawned on Chester that he'd be doing the same he always did in a situation like that and if Albee was wrong, he'd face even more ridicule.

"And what, Chester?" Albee looked at him. "Ya gotta get the Marshal, Chester." He repeated. "They got Miss Kitty!"

Chester stood for several minutes trying to decide the best course of action. If Albee hadn't been seeing things then Kitty could be in real danger. But if it was another one of Albee's drunken visions… "Albee, ya sure ya saw someone take Miss Kitty?" He questioned the hapless little man. "I mean it ain't another one of them visions, is it?"

"No, Chester." Albee gave him a curious stare, not sure why he was so reluctant to help his friend. "It weren't no vision. I saw them, I told ya. Now are you gonna go get the marshal or not?"

"Not." Chester suddenly decided. "I'll handle this, Albee. You just go on and don't worry about it, okay? I'll take care of it."

"But, Chester," Albee protested as Chester pushed him towards the door. "Ya don't even know where they took her. And you ain't no tracker."

That thought brought him up short. Albee was right on both points, but as he thought about Doc's laughing at him, and the snide remark Jonas had made, his spine stiffened and he would not allow himself to run to Matt. "Which way out of town did they ride, Albee?" He asked. "As long as I know that, I can follow em."

"They went south, Chester." Albee told him. "Just threw her on a horse and took her south."

Hesitating only for a moment, Chester nodded. "Alright, Albee. Like I said, you go on and I'll take care of it."

Once Albee was gone, Chester limped over and pulled his rifle from under his bunk and some extra ammunition from the rack hanging on the wall. Heading back to the door, he threw his hat on his head, took a quick look around and headed down to the stable to claim his horse.

He decided that it was time he proved that he could do things on his own, without Mr. Dillon's assistance. And if Kitty was in danger and if he did manage to rescue her, no one in town would ever poke fun at him again. That thought gave him a smile and the courage to claim his horse and ride out of town, heading south. Unfortunately, that thought didn't last too long. And he never considered the consequences of what might happen if he failed.

TBC

(SuzyQ, I sing Gospel of all kinds. Country, classical, bluegrass and comtemporary. I've even been known to sing a gospel rock song or two.)


	5. Chapter 5

**5**

Though bound and gagged, Kitty wasn't blind and she watched the surrounding countryside as the two men carried her south and away from town. She had no idea who these men were or what they wanted but she was aware of how much danger she was in.

Afraid of what they might do to her if she resisted, Kitty kept still as the man behind her encircled her waist with his arms as he steered his horse quickly through the prairie. She doubted she could fight him and win while bound and on horseback, but she knew it wouldn't always be that way.

Sooner or later they would stop and take her from the horse and when they did, she'd find a way to get free and away from them. At least, she hoped so.

Not too far behind them, Chester was following the tracks of two big horses as quickly and as closely as he could. If he was on the right track, and he supposed he was, Miss Kitty, and the men that took her, weren't too far ahead of him. Smirking, Chester leaned back in his saddle, giving himself a figurative pat on the back. As soon as he caught up with these desperados and rescued Miss Kitty, he was going to be a hero and nobody was going to laugh at him again.

Chucking his horse, Chester rode on, sure of the victory to come.

Ahead of him, the two men and their hostage pulled to a stop near a small creek to let their horses get a drink and to talk.

"How far back you figure he is, Zeke."

"He ain't too far back. But he ain't the Marshal neither. He ain't big enough to be that law dog." Shad had made Zeke hang back a little earlier, when he thought he heard a horse whinny behind them. Zeke had just caught up with the news that he'd been right.

"Ya want I should lay back again and spike him when he comes through?"

Shad considered that for a moment but shook his head with a gleam in his eye as a thought came to him. "I don't want ya to kill him. Set ya self up by them rocks over there and keep out of sight. When he comes through, stop him and bring him with ya to the camp. I'll take Red here on along and be waiting for ya."

"Why do I gotta wait?" He whined as he gave Kitty a leer. "Why cain't I take the red head and you get him?"

"Cause I'm in charge of this here outfit and I decide who does what." Shad snapped at him. "Now you just do what I said. And remember, don't kill him. Hurt him if ya gotta but don't kill him."

Still atop of Shad's horse, Kitty's eyes widened when she heard their plans. She had no idea who was behind them but she didn't want anyone else caught in the same snare she was in. Though her hands were tied, they were bound in front of her, which gave her a little stability as she gripped the saddle horn, kicked the horse in the side and attempted to ride away.

However she didn't realize that Shad still held the reins and in no time, he had pulled the horse to a stop. "That weren't too nice a thing to do, Red." Shad grunted as he slapped the reins against Kitty's leg, causing her to flinch. "Ya'd best not try that again or I might have to hurt ya some."

Kitty however wasn't as concerned with what he might do to her as she was whoever might be following them. She had a feeling Shad wouldn't do too much to her as he obviously intended to use her as some sort of bait for Matt. But she just couldn't let someone else be hurt if she could help it.

Sitting perfectly still in the saddle, Kitty waited until Shad reached up to mount up behind her before kicking her leg out, and trying once again to get away. Her second attempt was no more successful than the first. Shad saw the kick coming and jumped back just in time.

Reaching up, Shad grabbed Kitty about the waist and pulled her down from the horse, striking her across the face. I ain't got time for this, woman!" He snarled at her as he struck her again. "Now you try nothing again and it's gonna go real hard fer ya. Ya hear me?"

Even had Kitty not had a gag in her mouth, she would've been hard pressed to answer as his blows had left her addled. All she could manage was a slight nod of her head.

Accepting that for an answer, Shad picked her and threw across his horse like a sack of potatoes. "Ya ain't gonna get another chance to try nothing else." He said with a smirk as he climbed up on the horse and took off, leaving his partner to wait for their follower.

Chester was still congratulating himself on his remarkable job of following the tracks as he rode down the increasingly narrow trail, bounded by rocks on either side. He would realize much later that had he been paying attention to his surroundings instead of patting himself on the back, he might've escaped what happened next.

But he didn't.

Just as he passed a particularly large bolder, a loud voice rang out from behind him and to his left. "Stop right there, Mister."

Not being a complete fool, Chester did as ordered while inching his hand towards the rifle, snuggled into the scabbard on the right side of his horse. He barely touched the stock when a shot rang out and Chester felt a sharp pain on the side of his head, knocking him from his horse.

As he tumbled to the ground, Chester's last thought, before darkness claimed him, was of Mr. Dillon and how disappointed he was going to be with him.

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

**6**

Chester awoke with a raging headache and a soft pillow for his head. Prying his eyes open, he looked up to see Kitty anxiously peering down at him. His head was in her lap. "Miss Kitty?" He was trying to figure out just why his head was in her lap, when he suddenly remembered. He'd been hurt while on his way to rescue her.

It was now obvious to him; he hadn't succeeded, judging by the headache. He did notice though that someone, he suspected Miss Kitty, had placed a bandage of some sort on his head.

"Hush, Chester." Kitty whispered as she nodded to her left and gently kept him from moving. "Keep your voice down."

Chester turned his head and saw a man lying a distance apart from them next to a campfire, asleep. Another man, standing even further away, with his back to them, had a rifle in the crook of his arm, apparently keeping watch. Chester looked back up at Kitty. "How long we been here?" He asked quietly.

Kitty shrugged. "A few hours. Not sure exactly. Seems like forever but more likely just a few hours. How's your head?"

Chester considered that question for a few seconds before replying. "Well, it hurts something awful, Miss Kitty. But I reckon if I'm still breathing, it ain't killed me."

Kitty gave him a rueful smile before a small grimace crossed her expression.

Chester noticed. "You alright, Miss Kitty?" He wanted to get up but his head was hurting quite a bit more now that he was fully awake.

"Ssshh," Kitty reminded him. "I'm fine. Just getting a little stiff sitting here so long. They untied me so I could tend to your head and they've left me untied, but they've not let me move from this spot since we got here. Of course, there's not too many places I could go on foot and I'm sure not gonna leave you here alone."

"Aw, Miss Kitty." Chester sighed. "Ya shoulda just took off without me."

"Not if she wanted to live, she shouldn't'a." The man with the gun said as he stepped across to them. He'd heard them talking, although they hadn't noticed him.

Kitty glared up at him. "You're not going to get what you want, you know. Marshal Dillon's not stupid enough to just ride in here. Besides, me and Chester's no more special to him than anybody else is."

"Now, wait a minute, Miss Kitty." Chester, finally managed to get himself pulled up into a sitting position so he could look at her right side up. "I happen to know, Mr. Dillon thinks right highly of you. He's told me that himself. And I know…"

"Chester..." Kitty tried to get him to shut up but he ignored her.

"… I ain't as special to him as you are but I think he likes me right enough."

"Chester, let it go…"

"… I think he'd be plumb upset if something was to happen to the two of us."

Kitty took a deep breath and dropped her head. Since the moment they had taken the gag from her mouth, she'd been valiantly trying to convince the two kidnappers that she and Chester weren't worth holding hostage. That they wouldn't be able to lure Matt Dillon out to the middle of nowhere with nothing but a saloon woman and a cripple. But Chester had just shot all of that down.

Zeke chuckled as he looked down at the red faced woman. "That's what we thought." He said as he turned and went back to his post on the other side of the camp.

"Thanks, Chester." Kitty grumbled. "You just couldn't keep your mouth shut could you?"

"Well, forever more, Miss Kitty. What'd I say that was so wrong? You know Mr. Dillon cares about you. And I always liked to think that he cares about me." Chester was offended that she would imply otherwise.

Kitty shook her head. "I was trying to convince those two that they'd kidnapped the wrong people and should let us go. But you just made sure to convince them of the opposite, now."

"Oh," Chester now understood. "I'm sure sorry about that." He mumbled. "I just didn't want you to think that Mr. Dillon didn't care about ya. Cause you know, he does. He for sure does."

"Yeah, I know, Chester." Kitty sighed. "I just wished they didn't." She looked across at the two men and ruefully shook her head. "Well, it doesn't matter now, I guess. We've just got to figure out a way of escaping from those two or warning Matt somehow. I'd hate for Matt to come looking for us and get caught in some trap of theirs."

Chester suddenly brightened and smiled at her. "Well, there ain't no need to worry there, Miss Kitty. Mr. Dillon ain't gonna come looking for us. Nobody in town knows we got took."

"Nobody?" Kitty arched a brow, her hopes sinking.

"Nope," Chester beamed, proud of himself for keeping his boss out of harm's way. "I didn't tell nobody what happened to ya or that I was coming after ya. So, see? We ain't got no worries at all. Mr. Dillon won't come out here."

Kitty bit her lip and dropped her head again, praying for the restraint she would need to keep from throttling the man beside her. She knew it was useless to point out to the Marshal's assistant that he'd effectively prevented them from getting any sort of outside help, so she sat silently for a moment, trying to collect her thoughts and figure another way out.

Finally raising her head, she looked at the two men and then back at Chester. "How bad is your head?"

"My head?" He gave her a confused look. "Well, it hurts some if that's what you mean?"

"Yeah, but how bad does it hurt, Chester?' She asked, keeping her voice as low as possible. "I mean do you think, if I distract that man over there, you could sneak up on the other one and grab his gun?"

Chester studied the two men and calculated the difficulty of getting to the gun by the sleeping man without him waking or he or Miss Kitty getting caught. Swallowing hard, he looked back at Kitty. "Well, I can try."

Kitty wasn't so sure about Chester's 'trying' but she felt she had to do something. With no hope of outside help, she couldn't figure any other way.

Taking a deep breath, she got to her feet and moved as quietly across the camp as she could, so as not to disturb the still sleeping man as he snored loudly by the fire.

As Kitty moved away, Chester got to his feet, ignoring the pounding in his head, and stood still, waiting for the perfect moment to move.

"Uh, mister." Kitty whispered as she approached Zeke. She wanted his attention only. "I, uh, needed to ask you something."

No better time, Chester thought as he sprung forward, heading for the rifle in his sights. However, Chester didn't see the large rock which was in his path and just as he got near the sleeping kidnapper, he tripped over the rock and landed on the man, waking him up.

Zeke, hearing Chester fall as well as Shad's cursing about fools, turned and looked at the sight of Chester practically sitting in Shad's lap while the angry bandit was pushing him away and reaching for his gun. Looking back at Kitty, he tilted his head a little. "What do you want?"

Kitty swallowed hard, let out the air she'd been holding and then looked over at Chester. "Uh, can you help me get my friend up, before your partner kills him?"

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

**7**

"I'm real sorry, Miss Kitty." Chester said again. "I sure didn't see that rock a lying there. I woulda stepped over it if I had of."

Kitty bit her lip to keep from snapping at him but it was a hard thing to do. When Shad and Zeke got Chester back on his feet, they tightly tied Kitty and Chester up and sat them on the ground, daring them to move. Chester had been apologizing ever since.

"Miss Kitty?" Chester asked after a while. "What you reckon they're gonna do with us? I mean, if Mr. Dillon don't show up or nothing?"

"He'd better show up." Shad snarled as he approached the two. "That is, if he wants his woman and his friend back in one piece, he'd better."

"What good would it do you if he doesn't come and you do harm us?" Kitty asked; glaring up at him. "Killing us wouldn't help you any. You still wouldn't have the Marshal in your clutches and you'd have two murder charges on your heads."

"I think that'd be my worry, Missy." He snapped at her. "I ain't afraid of no murder charge. Already got one or two. Sides, if'n Dillon don't show up, I'll least have the satisfaction of knowing I took his woman afore I kilt her." He leeringly ran his eyes up and down Kitty's form, leaving no doubts of his intentions.

Though Kitty refrained from reply, she refused to look away from him and soon her stare got to him and he turned, leaving her and Chester to sit alone again.

"Well, forever more, Miss Kitty." Chester exclaimed. "You hear what he's a plannin' on doing?"

"I heard, Chester." Kitty sighed. "And I have no doubts he'll try to carry through with them. But I don't plan on making it easy on him."

"You got an idea of how to get out of it?" Chester asked.

"Not right now." Kitty answered with a sigh.

Back in town, Matt had returned to find Chester nowhere around and Sam, as well as Doc, in an uproar. Kitty was missing and though, they'd searched the town over and asked everyone they could think of, they'd found no sign of her.

Matt hurriedly took his horse down to the stable and asked Moss for another one, his was worn out and he had no idea how long he'd be gone. But he knew he'd not return until he found them.

As Moss quickly readied another horse for him, Matt hastily made his way down to the jail to grab some supplies and ammunition. He found Albee waiting in the doorway for him. "Albee, what's going on?" He asked as he approached, seeing the look of distress on the old man's face. "What's wrong?"

"Ah, Marshal, I was a hopin' you'd come back. I was scaret you'd be too late. I got somethin' to tell ya."

Matt suspected Albee was about three sheets to the wind and he didn't have time to listen to another one of his fantasies about pink elephants or giant bats. "Albee, I'm sorry, but whatever it is, it's going to have to wait. I've got something I've got to do."

"But, Marshal…" Albee protested. "I got something to tell ya. It's important. Honest."

"I'm sure it is, Albee." Matt answered. "But what I'm doing is too."

"Well, if ya don't want to know about Miss Kitty and Chester then I guess I'll go on." Albee said with an air of resignation.

"Wait." Matt reached out with a hand to his shoulder and stopped him. "What are you talking about? You know something about Miss Kitty and Chester?"

"Sure do." The little man grinned up at the tall Marshal. 'I know I saw some men carryin' Miss Kitty away and I know Chester went after her. Of course he told me not to say nothing cause he wanted to find her himself, but well… I just figured ya might wanna know." He gave Matt a cheerful smile.

"Yes, I did. Thank you, Albee. Do you have any idea which direction they went?" Matt asked, silently thinking of what he would do to Chester when he caught up with him.

"They went south, Marshal." His grin grew wider, proud of himself for remembering.

Matt reached into his pocket and fished out a silver dollar and handed it to the man. "Thank you, Albee."

Albee looked down at the money in his hand and then up at Matt. "Gee, thank ya, Marshal. I ain't had this much money in forever."

"You're welcome." Matt smiled. Now, go on. I'll see ya later."

As Albee left, Matt grabbed the few things he thought he'd need and hastily left the jail, locking the door behind him. He hadn't taken more than a few steps before meeting up with Moss and a fresh horse. "Thank you, Moss." He said as he slung his saddle bag across the back of the horse, grabbed the reins and mounted.

"You think you can find Miss Kitty, Marshal?" Moss asked when Matt was seated.

Matt nodded, his face a mask of stony seriousness. "I'll find her." He answered as he turned the horse and rode south. "I'll find her," he repeated to himself. "And the men that took her, will regret the day I do."

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

**8**

It didn't take Matt long to find the trail out of town. He saw older tracks of two horses and then recognized the tracks of Chester's horse. It had a shoe that had a chip in it and he'd told Chester a couple of times he should get it replaced before his horse threw it. Chester hadn't done it and now Matt was glad for that. It made following the trail easier.

Several miles out of town, he found a place where it looked like a scuffle had taken place. By the looks of things, it wasn't much of one but it was enough. Whoever took Kitty probably had Chester now too. Knowing Kitty, she'd be more worried for his hapless assistant then for herself and he worried she might get hurt trying to protect Chester.

Sighing, he got back on his horse. He'd see when he found them.

At the campsite, Chester glared across the fire at their two captors as they sat and ate some rabbit they'd caught and cooked. "Ain't ya gonna give us some?" He asked. "Ya, know we've been here nigh on a day and ya just barely gave us any water."

"Shut up." Shad called over to him. "Yer Marshal'll be here for too long. Ya won't need no food then."

Kitty, sitting beside Chester, nudged him with her shoulder. "Chester, let it go." She admonished. She wanted to reassure him that she had a plan of sorts of how to escape, but she was afraid those men would hear her. And if they didn't, that Chester would blurt it out.

"But, Miss Kitty, it ain't right, them a sitting there a eating in front of us and a knowing we're hungry." Chester's stomach was growling loudly and he was pretty put out by the men's disregard for his and Kitty's comforts.

"It's alright, I tell you." Kitty whispered to him. "Let it go." She was afraid his complaints would bring one of those men over there and right then, she couldn't afford it. She'd been steadily working on the ropes binding her hands behind her and though her wrists were now chafed and raw, she'd just about freed herself. The last thing she needed was for Chester to bring attention to her efforts.

"No, it ain't alright." Chester said in a voice loud enough to draw the two men's gaze in their direction. "It ain't alright at all. At the very least they oughta feed you. That ain't no way what so ever to treat a lady."

"Chester!" Kitty was beyond irritated by now. "Shut up. Do you hear me? Shut up."

Shad got to his feet and shuffled over to them. "The woman's right." He sneered at Chester. "Ya either shut yer mouth or I'll shut it fer ya. Ya get my meaning?"

Kitty stilled her hands behind her, praying fervently that the foul man in front of her didn't decide to check their bonds.

"I hear ya." Chester mumbled, without looking up, when he realized the man meant business.

Shad stood watching his prisoners for a moment longer then turned back to his partner. "Good thing. I don't want to kill ya just yet, but I ain't agin it."

"Yet?" Chester questioned causing Kitty to silently groan beside him. "Why don't ya just go ahead and get it over with? Why wait? It'd be better than let us starve to death."

"Chester!" Kitty seethed beside him. "Please."

But it was too late. Shad and Zeke both had had enough of Chester's complaints and both of them stomped over to their hostages. Shad raised his gun and pointed it at Chester, cocking the trigger. "I done told ya to shut up and the lady here did too. Now, I'm gonna make ya."

"No!" Kitty screamed as she pulled her hands free from the last of her ropes and threw herself forward, trying desperately to protect her friend.

"How the…?" Shad suddenly realized that one of his hostages was free. Reaching down, he roughly pulled Kitty up to her feet, gripping her arms tightly. "Thought, ya'd try somethin', huh? Though ya might try escapin'?"

"You let her go." Chester protested. "Keep your dirty hands off of her."

With a grin, Shad started dragging Kitty over to the fire, ignoring Chester. "Ya want ta be free, huh?" He laughed. "Well, I'll give ya free. Least ways, till I'm done with ya." Once he reached his destination, he threw her to the ground.

She landed on her side, just barely missing the glowing embers of the blazing fire. Rolling away quickly, Kitty tried to gain her feet but Shad was too quick for her. In an instant he was on her, pinning her to the ground beneath him. Kitty frantically tried to kick him, or bite him but he was strong, too strong and she was afraid he was going to accomplish what he wanted.

Suddenly a shot rang out, then another. Shad stiffened on top her, a confused expression on his ugly unshaven face, before collapsing and falling forward. Kitty was trapped beneath his dead weight. But only for a moment.

All at once, the dead man was lifted off of her and Matt was there, reaching down to pull her into his arms. "You alright?" He asked worriedly as he hugged her tightly to himself. "You alright?"

Kitty nodded against his chest, as she wrapped her arms around his waist. "I am now." She answered.

Chester sat quietly, allowing them a moment before piping up. "Uh, Mr. Dillon." He called. "Uh, I could use some help here. Mr. Dillon? Miss Kitty?"

Matt ignored Chester for a moment, as he held Kitty close. Right then, she was more of a concern than Chester.

"Mr. Dillon?" Chester called again. "I'm still tied up here."

Kitty sighed and pulled out of Matt's arms. "We'd better untie him."

Matt cut his eyes at his hapless assistant. He'd been watching from the woods and had seen what happened. Because of Chester's big mouth, Kitty came close to… He stopped that thought, grateful it hadn't happened. Taking Kitty gently by the arm, he led her away from the dead man and sat her on the far side of the fire. "You have a seat. I'll untie Chester and then we'll take care of these two."

Kitty nodded and sank down wearily on the blanket he'd directed her too. Right then she didn't have the strength to do much else.

Turning back to Chester, Matt reined in his temper before actually going over and releasing him. He realized Chester wasn't trying to get Kitty hurt, but his actions had almost resulted in that, regardless. Finally taking a deep breath, he stepped over and silently pushed Chester forward so he could get at the ropes binding his hands.

"I sure do thank ya." Chester said, gratefully when he was finally able to pull his hands from behind his back. "I was beginning to think we was done for."

"Yeah." Matt practically growled at him.

"Mr. Dillon, I…"

"Chester, don't." Matt stopped him. "I don't want to hear one word from you right now. Okay?"

"Yes, Sir." Chester dropped his eyes. He knew Mr. Dillon was upset with him, but he couldn't for the life of him figure out why. Still, he decided it was better he let it drop. for now anyway.

"Let's get these men buried, Chester." Matt told him. "Then we'll go home."

"Ain't we gonna eat something first?" Chester asked.

"NO!" Matt answered sternly.

"But me and Miss Kitty ain't et in…"

"Chester." Matt ground his teeth to keep from saying something he knew he'd regret.

"Yes, Sir." Chester sighed as he got up and followed his boss. Things sure weren't going the way he'd planned.

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

**Conclusion**

**(Author's note: Just a quick thank you to those who actually read this and reviewed. Thank you very, very much. I appreciate your kind remarks.)**

After the dead were buried, Matt and Chester broke up the camp and saddled the horses. Though Chester was still hungry and still not happy they hadn't eaten first, he said nothing when Matt helped Kitty up on a horse and got mounted himself.

As they rode, Matt told Kitty and Chester that he remembered who the two men were who'd kidnapped them. He thought he'd recognized them at the Long Branch but it was on the way to find them that he recalled everything.

They were bank robbers. The Sherriff from Hays had arrested them about five years prior after a failed hold up attempt. Their partner, and Shad's younger brother, had gotten away. Matt had found the younger brother and in a shootout, killed him. Matt suspected they had taken Kitty to get revenge for that, knowing Matt would come.

Looking over at her, Matt saw the bruise on her cheek and the exhaustion on her face and anger welled up at her once again being used as a pawn to get to him.

But something else angered him as well, or at least someone.

Chester.

He had taken off after Kitty without telling anyone and he put her life in danger as well as his own just to prove some sort of point. It wasn't that Matt doubted his sincerity, but that wasn't enough. Clamping his mouth closed, yet again, Matt resolved to say nothing to anyone until he'd had time to work through it all. The way he felt right then didn't bode well for his assistant.

When they got to town, Matt sent Chester to take care of the horses and then go to the jail and told him to wait there for him. Against Kitty's objections, he took her up to see Doc, insisting the physician examine her. After Doc gave her the all clear, Matt walked her over to the Long Branch, promising to return later.

Once he made sure Kitty had gone upstairs, Matt squared his shoulders, took a deep breath and headed for the jail. It was time he had a talk with Chester.

When he entered the small brick jail house, he saw Chester had started a fire in the stove and was working on a pot of coffee.

"I've just about got us a pot of coffee fixed, Mr. Dillon. Would you, uh… would you like me to do anything else?" The contrite and anxious expression on his face told Matt that Chester figured he was in trouble.

"Sit down, Chester." Matt answered. "We need to talk."

Chester swallowed hard and carefully took a chair at the small square table, dropping his head as he did so. "Mr. Dillon, I know what you're gonna say and you're… you're… well, you're right. I… I… I…"

"You, you, you, what, Chester?" Matt snapped at him, not really meaning to. But the worry over Kitty and the anger had overwhelmed him despite his best intentions. "You nearly got Kitty, not to mention yourself, killed. And for what? To prove some kind of point?"

Chester dropped his head, not wanting to see the anger and disappointment in his friend's face. "Yes, Sir. I mean, no Sir. I mean..."

"You mean what? Chester, you've got to realize that…" Matt stopped and reined himself in finally. Yelling at Chester wasn't going to solve anything and he had a feeling the man already felt bad enough.

"Chester." He said; his tone softer. "I know some people around town made fun of you, I heard about it and I'm sorry about that. I know that kind of thing can be pretty hard to take. But risking your life, as well as Kitty's, is not the way to stop them."

"But, Mr. Dillon, you just don't know what it's like." Chester finally looked up at him. "I mean, I know I ain't no hero or nothing like that but it's awful hard when ya know people are a poking fun at ya all the time and well… well, sometimes ya just gotta try and prove em wrong."

"Wrong, Chester." Matt said as he took a chair across from him. "The only thing that accomplishes, is getting yourself and maybe others hurt. Chester, what others think of you, shouldn't be important. It's what you think of yourself that should matter. And what your friends think of you. I'll tell ya, Chester. I wouldn't have you working for me if I didn't trust you. And Kitty sure wouldn't let you near her, if she didn't trust and like you. And Doc… well, you know how Doc is."

"Yeah, I know how Doc is." Chester said with bitterness in his voice. "And I know how Miss Kitty is. They were two of them that was making fun of me. Mr. Jonas as much as told me they was."

"No, we weren't, Chester." Kitty said from the doorway. Holding up her hand, she shook her head at Matt. "I was afraid of what you might do to him." She said, ignoring his frown.

She looked back over at Chester, who'd once again dropped his head, this time in anger. "Chester, I never once made fun of you or talked about you. I have no idea what Mr. Jonas said or thought but I will be very happy to talk to him about it, if you'd like. As for what Doc may or may not have said, I don't know that either. But I doubt he made fun of you behind your back."

"I don't believe you." Chester mumbled. He was still remembering the echoing laughter that had followed him down the boardwalk and he couldn't seem to let it go, even though, logically, he knew Kitty wouldn't lie to him.

"Well," Kitty sighed. "You can believe what you want to. I didn't come over here to try and convince you of anything. But I will tell you this. You're pretty quick sometimes to holler for Matt before you even know there's a problem. Maybe if you slow down a little and evaluate the problem first, you'll see there isn't one and you won't always be calling him for nothing. If that happens, people would have a lot less to make fun of. And maybe when you realize that what makes you a good and valuable person isn't what heroic deeds you do but how you treat others and how you act, you'll realize you don't need to be a hero. You just need to be you."

Matt studied Chester's bowed head for a moment before getting up. "You think about that for a while, Chester." He said as he headed for the door. "I'm going to take Kitty home."

As the Marshal and Kitty left the jail, Chester sat for a while longer thinking about what Kitty had told him. It was true he was quick to get Mr. Dillon when he saw something off. But he just didn't feel comfortable handling things by himself. Usually when he did, things turned out like they did this time.

Still, he supposed, he did holler for help sometimes when none was needed. He never really thought of it like that though. He was just so proud of the job he did and it made him feel important to be able to walk down the street next to Mr. Dillon when he was going about the law's business. Those times, he felt like he was someone.

But the rest of Kitty's words came back to him. "What makes you a good and valuable person is how you act and how you treat others." Sighing, Chester finally got to his feet and went over and got himself a cup of coffee. He guessed he forgot that sometimes. "Well," he sighed to himself. "I guess I'll have to think on that for a while."

Down the street, Matt had just gotten Kitty back to the Long Branch and they were outside of the doors talking. "I hope what you said to Chester sinks in." He told her. "It'd sure be nice to spend some time with you without him calling on me every little bit."

Kitty laughed and shook her head. "You really believe it's going to be that easy?"

Matt joined her in the laugh. "Nope, probably not. But a fella can dream can't he?"

"Yeah," Kitty agreed with a twinkle in her eye. "He could do a whole lot more than that though if he were to come up to my room tonight."

"Oh?" Matt looked definitely intrigued.

"Um, hum." Kitty nodded as she turned to go inside. "Of course, he'd have to leave his assistant in the jail and not tell him where he was for a few hours, but…"

Matt grinned and readjusted his hat as he watched her open the doors to go in. "I'll see ya later, Kitty." He winked. "And I'll be alone."

Kitty's laughter followed him as he turned and walked quickly back to the jail. He knew one talk with Chester wasn't going to fix anything and he'd have to be awful sly to get away tonight without Chester knowing where he was. But considering what would be waiting for him, he'd find a way.

The End.


End file.
